


Sonic Boom: Synergy Rising

by PassionateFangirl



Series: Sonic Rewritten [1]
Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, implied Sonamy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25079533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PassionateFangirl/pseuds/PassionateFangirl
Summary: In another dimension, Sonic Boom wasn't a rushed game and had a cohesive storyline. Somehow, this author has managed to cobble together what scraps of that reality she has seen...and reworked Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric into a well-received spin-off.
Series: Sonic Rewritten [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816345
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Prologue

It was upon Seaside Island that the Mobians discovered they were not alone on their world.

He called himself "Dr. Eggman". He was tall, a little plump, and if you squinted, he may have been looked like a shaved gorilla. No...he said he was a "human".

And that he wanted to take over their peaceful island with his robot army.

With a snap of his fingers, the village was overrun with mechanical creatures of all shapes and sizes. One little girl stood in shock, clutching her stuffed toy and shaking. The crab reached out towards her, ready to teach her some respect.

That's when a spiky blue blur zipped by, knocking it into a wall. The ball unfurled, revealing a young kid with blue spines, peach fluff, and striking green eyes. He wore buckled shoes, and wiped his gloved hands free of dirt. He turned, locking eyes with Eggman. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?!"

The doctor growled. "I am Dr. Eggman, and you will respect me!"

A moment passed, and the hedgehog smirked. He bit his lip, and let out a flurry of giggles.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?!" Eggman yelled.

"Your name..." The hedgehog stopped to breathe, "is...Eggman?! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Talk about a 'yolk'!"

The other denizens of the village started laughing too. Eggman looked around. Any fear he had instilled into them was gone! And all because of this...kid?

"Minions! Attack that infuriating little rat!"

The kid stopped laughing. He sighed, and cracked his neck to the side. "Look, Egg-head, I'm not a rat." The machines curled him, blasters ready to fire. Eggman gave them the command, and a smoking crater was left where the hedgehog had stood.

But there was no fallen body.

Instead, he had somehow dodged the lasers and was several feet into the air. He came down feet first on one robot, crushing it. Like a game of hopscotch, he pummeled the army like they were warmed butter. Amongst the mess of scrap metal and screws, the kid jabbed a thumb at himself.

"I'm a hedgehog. Sonic the hedgehog!" He pointed at Eggman. "Say, I'll pronounce your name right if you can say mine!"

"Needle-mouse!" Eggman slammed down on the console of his flying machine.

"Dude. That's so much worse." Sonic curled into a ball again, and began to roll in place, he then launched himself into the air, hitting Eggman's flying machine and sending the mad conquerer into the clouds. "Catcha later Egg-face!"

"I HAAAATE YOOOOOOUUUU!!!" Eggman's voice echoed from the distance.

The villagers began to cheer. Sonic sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. 

"That was incredible!" A young, yellow-orange fox ran up to the hedgehog. "I'm...wow!"

"I know, I'm awesome." Sonic said playfully, giving the younger child a pat on the head. "Thanks, Tails."

The little fox smiled brightly, his twin tails swaying up and down.

"Uh, excuse me?" Somebody tapped him on the shoulder. Sonic turned, and saw he was face-to-face with a pink hedgehog. She looked familiar, like he'd seen her in the corner of his eye. "My name is Amy Rose. I saw your battle, and it was fantastic! Can I take a commemorative photo?"

Sonic blinked. "Uh, sure!" He was getting a little drunk on the attention. He posed, a foot resting behind the other and his finger held up, pointing at the sky. "How's this?"

"Perfect!" Amy snapped a photo with her polaroid, the instant film popping out. "Thanks. Although I might recommend using some sports tape."

"What?"

"You're covered in scratches and bruises! It could help reduce the injury." She explained. Now that she mentioned it, Sonic's body sure did feel sore. Tails put a finger to his chin, nodding in agreement.

"She's right. If that Eggman ever attacks again, you'll need something to keep yourself safe."

That's when something red and sorta spiky fell from the rooftops and landed in front of the group.

The mysterious creature dug his head out from the dirt, and grinned. "Hi! I'm Knuckles. I'm from Angel Island...and I don't know where any other echidnas are." He put a hand to his head, just barely able to keep from blacking out. "I was here for something, and now I can't remember."

"I'm sure you'll remember soon." Sonic helped him up. "In the meantime, why don't you stay with us? You look like you could use some rest."


	2. Yesterday

**4 YEARS LATER**

"What's the matter Sonic? Can't keep up?" Eggman laughed, as his Eggmobile soared through the dense forest. Ancient, carved pathways of a civilization long lost intertwined through trees and rocks. Team Sonic charged through, hopping over dead branches and pushing to their limits.

Well, most of them were.

"You were saying?" Sonic snickered, keeping at a casual pace next to Eggman. The doctor did a quick double-take, as he was certain the hedgehog was yards behind him moments before! Sonic noticed his bewilderment and put his hands behind his head to tease him further.

"Foolish pest, it was a taunt! Villainy 101!" Eggman explained in annoyance. He whacked a button on his console, and suddenly shot off into the distance. A stream of jet fuel marked his trail.

 _Guess I'm gonna have to actually run now,_ Sonic thought, smiling. He looked behind him, his face falling when he noticed how tired his friends were. Or maybe just a light jog.

He noticed an oncoming fork in the road. The higher one would surely lead to a nice spot for an ambush. "Amy, Knuckles, you go left. Tails and I will go right!"

"Gimme a sec!" The echidna huffed, quickly checking for his left and right. "Got it. See you on the flip side!" He took Amy's hand and the two hurried up the path. Tails flew a few feet into the air, landing next to Sonic. Out of the whole group, only he could really keep up due to his propeller backside. He bumped Sonic, and the two exchanged a grin, speeding up.

[At this time, the player would engage in a regular Sonic level, with a mini-boss fight against Eggman. It would involve using homing attacks on trees and rocks to make them fall onto the Eggmobile.]

"WARNING. HEAVY DAMAGE SUSTAINED FROM FALLING DEBRIS." The Eggmobile's AI warned.

Eggman cursed under his breath. That infuriating hedgehog! He refused to lose this time, not after all the work he had been doing. The jets were starting to sputter. he had to think of something. Up ahead, the path crossed over a ravine.

...Of course! It was risky, but worth a shot.

"Hey, it's your birthday next week, right?" He gave Sonic a glance.

"Actually, my birthday was about a month ago." Sonic corrected him.

"Then I hope you enjoy your belated present!" Eggman fired the rest of his arsenal, completely exhausting himself of any weaponry on-hand. It targeted the bridge, and the ensuing explosion was enough to make the ancient stone crumble. Now Sonic had to do the hardest thing if he wanted to ever win against him...

Stop.

Eggman laughed, soaring into the air. "Attention all units! To this location!" He said through his com-device. Multiple red dots appeared, converging on the little ravine.

Meanwhile, Sonic was slipping on the ground. He windmilled his arms about, trying to get a hold of himself, and just barely skidded to a stop at the edge of the broken path. Below him sat a miniature valley. Sonic stood, admiring the view.

Then Tails crashed into him, and they both went tumbling into the dirt below. Sonic tasted bark from a crawling root, and he fell flat on his face. Tails slowed his descent using his namesake, and helped Sonic up. "Sorry about that."

"S'cool. Always liked the taste of oak." Sonic spat out some earth, and tugged at his scarf. "Now let's fly back up and-"

A sudden army of robots surrounded them, bursting from the foliage. ...Odd. They didn't look like Eggman's design. Unless he was finally getting a little creative? Eggman floated down in his Eggmobile, laughing. "This is your _real_ present."

"...Would you mind being given these guys at a White Elephant party?" Sonic asked, tapping his foot in irritation.

Eggman rolled his eyes under his glasses. "I dug up these ancient robots, and it took me forever to figure out how to calibrate them to fight on my command. You can at least try to appreciate all the work I put into destroying you!" He grumbled, and then lifted off. "Toodles!"

That's when Amy and Knuckles jumped off their path above and landed directly on Eggman. He spoiled out of control, knocking the two off, before disappearing into the forest yelling.

"You guys okay?!" Tails yelled. Knuckles ripped himself from the jungle floor, shaking the dirt off his fur. Amy hefted her hammer.

"Never better!" She said. "Now shall we bash some bots?"

[At this time, the player would engage the machines in combat, complete with a tutorial for each character. It would be much like the fights from _Adventure_ , albeit a little more advanced.]

Sonic kicked a bot into a stone cliff. It's body crumpled beneath the weight of his blow, and cracks began to form on the rock. Sonic took a moment to stare at his foot, wondering how strong he actually was.

Then he realized it was not rock, but old architecture that had clearly seen better days. It broke and crumbled, revealing an entrance to a new location. Although he little miffed at his lack of super strength, Sonic's curiosity overtook him and he wandered through the wall's hole.

"A forest clearing." He breathed in the air. Smelled like eucalyptus.

"It's quite peaceful." Tails said. Knuckles bent down and picked a small flower, smiling.

Amy looked up, the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. "Looks like it was hidden by the paths and trees. No wonder we didn't know it was here."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sonic hopped in place. "Let's explore. Maybe we'll find a scrambled Eggman too."

"Wait, guys..." Tails pointed ahead. Past cliffs of bark and odd carved cubes, stood a large temple. At least, that's what it looked like. "Look at that! ...Wanna go check it out? 'Cause I wanna check it out."

"Looks like a nice, long hike." Sonic rolled a shoulder, a small _crick_ coming from the joint. "What are we waiting for?"

[At this time, the player would engage in a roaming level, in an attempt to reach the strange building.]

The scenery was astounding. Amy hadn't seen this kind of architecture before. She knew the island had a mysterious history, but at least people knew it had history. This was an entirely new chapter, and it made her giddy.

"I wonder what's inside." Tails muttered. "It could be an ancient place of worship, or a city hall."

"Or maybe a restaurant with food that never goes bad." Sonic said. "...Sorry. I'm just really hungry."

Knuckles waved the flower by Sonic's face. "What are you talking about? This place is surrounded by food!" The hedgehog playfully batted his hand away, careful to avoid his sharp fisticuffs.

"You know I'm more into meat."

"Stop talking about food! Now I'm hungry." Amy complained. Her ears perked, and she stood a little taller. "Up ahead, look. It's some kind of courtyard!"

The team began to run, the soft squishing of grass quickly turning to the padding of feet against metal. Tails stopped, leaning down to inspect the ground. Multiple circles made up a general area, each one delicately created from a different element than the one next to it. Just beyond it laid the temple.

"It's pretty neat." Sonic shrugged.

"Neat?" Amy scoffed. "Just neat? Sonic, this is beautiful!" She ran over to the ivy-covered door, pulling aside the hanging plants. "Gosh, this design work is gorgeous. It's even got little metal carvings of..." She trailed away, staring.

"Amy?"

"You see that too, right?" She pointed at the latticework encircling a hand-shaped symbol in the middle of the door. 

Tails flew over. "That's impossible. It looks just like Sonic! And me!"

"And you too." Knuckles said, before realizing Tails had already stated it himself. He coughed and looked down, embarrassed.

"Do you think those are our ancestors?" Sonic wondered. "Two tails run in your family, right?"

"Possibly..."

Sonic made eye contact with the hand-shaped symbol. He glanced at his own gloved hand, and began to unwrap the sports tape. Amy held his wrist. "Sonic, don't. We shouldn't just touch that, it could be dangerous."

Then the ground began to shake. Dozens more of those "ancient robots" that Eggman found appeared.

"I'll take on all of you!" Knuckles said, running out into the sea of enemies and putting his fists together. "Come on!"

Several of them suddenly activated a jet function, and swarmed towards Knuckles. He was knocked backwards, landing with a thud in front of the Team.

"Knuckles!" Tails cried out. He weakly gave a thumbs-up from where he laid.

"They couldn't do that before." Amy pulled out her hammer. "Is this a different model?"

Sonic looked at Knuckles' poor attempts to stand, then at the barrage of enemies. It wasn't even a hard decision. He reached for the symbol on the door.

"Sonic, no! We shouldn't tamper with that! We can take them." Amy said. He looked at her, sighing, then pulled his hand back and readied into a fist. 

"Alright. Let's kick some!"

[At this time, the player will engage in battle against Eggman's robots. They will have more abilities.]

Some had jets. Others had flamethrowers. A few even had shields! Sonic tried to keep track of them all, but the powers seemed at random with each machine. He couldn't tell them apart. But he could see that both he and his friends were winning against them, as hard as it was. That was enough for him to keep his resolve.

"ARGH!" Sonic drop-kicked the last one in the back of the head. It fell to the ground, sparking. He gasped, catching his breath. Was that it?

Nope.

Hordes of them were starting to pour out of the trees. For goodness sakes, this made the fight in the ravine look like a warm-up! When did Eggbreath have this many? And more importantly, why didn't he use them all on them before?

"I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't attack you with this many before!" Eggman appeared, his mobile vehicle somehow still functional. It was hard to take him seriously when he had leaves in his mustache and dirt on his face. "To be frank...they just hadn't gotten here yet." He raised his right arm, revealing an odd bracelet with a blue button on it. "Also, I've prepared another gift! But it isn't for you this time."

He tapped the button on the bracelet. An evil smile grazed his face.

{MTL_SNC.EXE PROGRAM ENGAGED. STAND BY.}

"It's my gift to myself: my victory!"

A figure suddenly landed on the battlefield, knocking both the heroes and villains back. The metal floor beneath it dented. Clouds of dust were kicked up, making Team Sonic's eyes water in pain. Glowing red eyes appeared, flickering to life.

Sonic almost slapped himself when he saw who they belonged to.

It was a blue hedgehog, just like him. Except it was completely mechanical. It's face was silver, it's hands sharpened claws. On it's chest sat what looked like a yellow jet engine. It stared at Sonic, unmoving, unwavering.

"HEDGEHOG: PRIORITY ONE." It coldly stated in a monotone voice. Then it charged.

Sonic dodged it a millisecond before his head was sliced off. It hit a wall, only to turn it's head 360 degrees and tear the wall apart. It's body twisted to match, and it went for him again. Sonic used a homing attack against it, but it only seemed to irritate the thing.

[At this time, the player engages in a boss fight against Metal Sonic.]

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Tails shrieked.

"I think it's supposed to be some doppelgänger of me!" Sonic guessed, leaning back to avoid a clawed swipe. "I guess he really took fight fire with fire to heart!"

"Why would you fight fire with fire?" Knuckles roughly threw one of the robot mooks at it's comrades, making them fall like bowling pins. Metal Sonic ignored the battle around him, and instead grabbed his namesake by the scarf. Activating it's jet engine, it flew in a tight circle. And Sonic was stuck in it's literal iron grip.

"Let...go...of...me!" Sonic punched it, ignoring the searing pain from the contact. Metal Sonic came to halt, attempting to recalibrate. Before it could do anything else, Sonic brought his feet onto it's chest and used it as a launching board, throwing himself backwards into the air. He did a backflip and hit the ground, readjusting his scarf. "Nobody touches my scarf like that."

Amy crushed a volley of robots, and threw her head back, breathing heavily. "Okay, Sonic, you know what? You can poke at that door now!" She gasped.

In a flash, Sonic was there, leaving his Metal counterpart confused as to where he went. He unwrapped his sports tape and slammed his hand onto the symbol. A perfect fit. It began to glow an ominous blue, and the doors opened slowly. "EVERYONE, INSIDE NOW!"

The team hurried after him. Metal Sonic shook it's head and started up it's engine again, but Tails threw a well-aimed wrench. It lodged in the engine, and Metal's torso started smoking. If it could show emotion, it would definitely be showing surprise. An emergency shut-down sequence was initiated, and the ancient doors closed.

"That...was crazy." Amy said, sitting down to catch her breath. "Let's hope we can find another way out."

"Wow, look at this place." Tails motioned to the hallway they stood in. It was stylized in the same way as the door outside. Grass grew freely, and odd markings scattered the walls. Everything seemed to be decorated with metalwork, depicting a variety of scenes.

But it was cold, and reeked of death. Sonic wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue out. "Let's find an exit."


	3. The Last Ancient

[At this time, the player would engage in another roaming level, in an attempt to reach an end of the tomb.]

"We're lost." Amy grumbled.

"We're only lost if we can't find a way out." Knuckles tried to reassure her.

The pink hedgehog rolled her eyes. "Exactly. We can't find a way out! We're lost."

"We don't know that yet, though." Knuckles shrugged.

Tails was admiring the art on the walls. There were metal carvings of different Mobians in robes, each one holding a crystal of some sort. From what he could see, it didn't depict a linear story. He kept seeing his and Sonic's lookalikes, though.

The Team soon encountered a three-way crossroad. Sonic didn't bother to stop, instead heading straight for the middle tunnel. Everyone else followed his lead, shaking away cobwebs and stepping over broken tiles.

"I hate this place." Sonic began to walk faster. "There are too many walls. Why did I think it was a good idea to lock us in here?"

"Technically, it was Amy's idea." Tails stated.

She glared angrily at the twin-tailed fox. "Don't pin this on me." As the Team neared a dead end, their pace slowed to a crawl. Sonic instead began to walk in circles around them. Why did they stop? Why didn't they turn around? What was so interesting?

To start, there was an intricate wall, inscribed with dozens of markings and an ouroboros symbol. Just in front of it sat a pedestal. On it, a golden circle waited, a hand-shaped imprint gathering dust. 

"It's clearly the same symbol that was on the door outside." Amy said, examining it. "...I'm not sure we should press it, but I can't think of any other solutions to our predicament."

"We could always punch out way out!" Knuckles suggested, a glimmer of hope in his eye. Sonic stopped next to him, happily _vibrating_ at the idea of making his own exit.

Amy shook her head. "We really shouldn't. This place is very old. If we try to mess with it's foundations too much, it could collapse and bury us in the rubble." She turned to the wall, focusing on the markings. "Maybe we should turn back and go left at the-"

"Nope! Let's press it!" Sonic pleaded. Anything else than being stuck in this enclosed space! He ran over and slammed his hand onto the symbol, and the wall in front of him began to shake. A crack of light seeped through the middle, growing larger as the wall revealed itself to be a set of doors.

"I think it...did something good!" Tails exclaimed brightly. The doors opened, revealing...

Another room.

Sonic lost it. He zipped into the room, spin-dashing all around the walls. "I-CAN'T-TAKE-THIS-ANY-MORE!" Dust was falling from the ceiling, and small cracks were left where the hedgehog bounced from.

"Calm down!" Knuckles tried grabbing for the blue blur, but kept missing every time. As he played the odd game of catch, Sonic hit a loose tile on the roof and fell, landing right on the poor echidna. The tile dropped, crashing onto the head of a stone structure that sat in the room's middle. From above, light seeped into the room.

"Sonic, behind you." Tails pointed. Sonic got up and turned, only to be greeted by a statue of some kind of creature. It was incredibly was nerving. It seemed as if somebody had taken a poor soul and covered them in plaster. Sonic narrowed his eyes, tugging at his scarf. He only just realized how cold it was in here.

"Is that a snake?" He cocked his head to the side. It sure looked like one. It had a long tail, and was wearing battle armor for some reason? It's arms were clasped together, holding a large ball. As he stared, the statue started to crumble.

"I think that tile finally broke it." Amy sighed. "I wonder, why would these Ancient Peoples have something like this? What does it represent? And why does it look so...modern?"

Tails flew up, peering at the "face" of the thing. It had no actual head, just a large orb where it would be. As bits of it continued to fall and hit the floor below, Tails accidentally flew a little too close and hit it with his nose.

A layer of stone cracked off, revealing something inside the orb. _Wait, that's not how statues worked,_ Tails thought. The fox noticed whatever was inside wasn't the same color of gray as the rest of it, instead a forest green. And it looked...real.

"The door we opened..." Tails' eyes widened in realization. "I don't think it was just another entry!"

The statue began to move.

"I think it was a seal!" He was thrown off-balance, falling. Sonic jumped up and caught him. The snake-statue tore away whatever rock had encased him, showering the room with pebbles and dust. Team Sonic coughed, waving away the clouds to take a better look at the freed prisoner.

The "orb" was actually a glass helmet, and inside was the serpentine face of the snake that was imprisoned. He opened his eyes, revealing demonic-looking slits for pupils. Sonic ushered Tails behind him, a hand balled into a fist. The instant the snake made eye contact with the hedgehog, an expression of pure hatred crossed his face.

" _You_." He declared, his voice gravely and partially muffled by the helmet.

Sonic looked around, confused, then pointed to himself in a questioning manner. _Me?_ He mouthed.

"You and I have unfinished business." The snake uncoiled himself, leaning down. His clawed tail landed with a loud thunk, cracking the floor.

"That's some greeting from somebody I've met for the first time." Sonic shrugged.

"YOU KNOW **VERY WELL** WHO I AM!" The snake bared his fangs and roared, his claw raised.

"You must be fun at parties." Sonic smirked, then began to run in place, spiraling into a ball and launching himself at the snake. The snake brought up his hands, attached to the ball, and blocked the attack. Sonic continued to charge forward, smoking. Using Sonic's speed as a make-shift saw, the ball snapped clean in two. Sonic was thrown back, caught by Amy. He stared up at the snake, in complete shock.

With his freed hands, the snake unleashed a volley of energy, coiling into strings that wrapped around Sonic and his friends. They were raised several feet into the air, wriggling. He began to slither around them, admiring his handiwork. "A thousand years later, and you're still predictable." His baritone voice dripped with malice. 

"What are you talking about?" Tails questioned, but an armored finger was raised and put on his lips to shush him. The snake stopped his rounds to stare into Sonic's emerald eyes, silently laughing.

"You predicted my movements." Sonic said quietly. "Who are you?"

The snake moved away, pressed a circular button on his chest. A green glow began to manifest in his right hand, and he aimed it at the wall. Before firing, he took one last look at Sonic and grinned. "Let's see how you take to being imprisoned for a thousand years!"

The wall was decimated. He floated up, through, and was gone.

The energy dissipated and everyone fell to the floor.

"AGH! MY TAIL!" Knuckles cried out.

"Sorry!" Amy got up. "Sorry, sorry."

Sonic sat up, a hand to his head. "I don't know what is up with that guy, but I have a feeling he's not 'good'." He stood, walking towards "Let's go after him!" Amy and Knuckles stood, about to start running-

"Wait!" Tails rushed to the broken ball, fishing through the metal scraps. He then pulled out a few colored disks, along with some other strange doo-dads. "I wanna take some of this stuff first. It might prove useful." Sonic impatiently waited for Tails to finish his looting, and then took off after the snake, his Team right behind him.

[At this time, the player would engage in a normal Sonic level, in an attempt to escape the tomb.]


	4. Not Cool, Sonic

It was easy, just follow the holes in the wall until you reach the outside. "SWEET, SWEET SUNLIGHT!" Sonic cried out, the wind whipping past his spines. In the horizon, he could see the outline of a snake crawling towards the mountains across the water. 

"We have to catch up to him and figure out what he wants!" Tails said. They jumped down one of the walls of the temple, and hit the ground running on another one of those long pathways. However, this one had seen better days, and Sonic could see up ahead that a large section of it was gone.

"Hang on, everyone! We're gonna hafta jump!" The hedgehog curled into a ball, uncurled, and kicked off the edge.

In what felt like slow-motion, Team Sonic vaulted themselves into the air, soaring over the missing road. They landed on the other side, the sound of their impact reverberating through the jungle.

"Yeah, we did it!" Knuckles cheered.

Then the floor underneath them began to crack.

"Oh right, it's old." Amy muttered.

And so they fell through, hitting the giant leaves, branches, and other flora before landing face-first on the ground once more. Tails, however, just floated down, skipping onto the dirt.

"Amy, please get off me." Sonic begged. She stood up with speed comparable to the blue blur's and clutched her hammer, smiling nervously. Knuckles put a hand to his head, patting the dirt off his dreadlock-quills. Next to them, the rushing of water formed a stream that led through the outskirts of the jungle.

"Remind me again what just happened?" Knuckles dunked his head into the water to clean himself.

Tails put a finger to his chin, and looked up at the sky. "Well, let's see. We got attacked by Eggman, got lost in a tomb, then released a thousand-year old reptile." He shrugged, pleased with his explanation. "Did I leave anything out?"

Knuckles' head reemerged from the river. "Huh?"

"Don't forget the pictures of you and Sonic on the walls." Amy told Tails. "Which reminds me, we should probably go tell Cliff about all this."

"Who?" Sonic stood. "Who's Cliff? Not like I care, but...w-who's Cliff?"

"Cliff? He's a good friend of mine." Amy explained. "He taught me everything I know about archeology. He even gave me some of the tools for my hammer!" She proudly showed it off to prove her point.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Where is this guy, anyway?"

"Well, I saw the edge of the Great Lake while we were running. That means we're east of the main jungle. So...he should be at work on an excavation site not far from here. Come on, I think this river leads through there!" She motioned "follow me", and took off running. Sonic frowned, and reluctantly began his journey.

"Whassamatter? You jealous?" Tails snickered next to him.

"No, w-why would I be jealous?" Sonic huffed. Knuckles blindly followed, wet and puzzled by everything that just happened.

[At this time, the player would engage in a normal Sonic level. Occasionally, you'd come across enemies, which you can combat whilst running like many other Sonic games.]

As the Team rushed through the forest, several squadrons of Eggman's robots appeared to attack them. They were fairly easy to fight off, but it didn't shake the fact that along with this snake dude, Eggman was still out there, army functioning.

Grass turned to an ancient road following along the river. Conifers and overhangs quickly replaced jungle trees. Everyone stopped at the edge of a precipice, overlooking the waterside and a number of naturally occurring rock faces. The forest stream trickled down below, passing by a small campsite.

"We're here!" Amy hopped down the cliffs using her hammer. "Cliiiiiiff!"

For no reason really, Sonic felt leagues better about this "Cliff" when he saw he was an elderly _spinolestes xenarthrous_. He wore a white fedora, and had a long beard growing off of his snout. He seemed to be in the middle of inspecting old bones, dusting them off.

"Amy!" He cried out joyfully when he noticed the group of Mobians barreling towards him.

She skidded to a halt in front of his tent. "I'm so glad we found you."

"I didn't know I was missin'!" He chuckled, tipping his hat in a welcoming gesture. "Good to see you, Ms. Rose! What can I do for you and your friends?"

"What do you know about a tomb with a giant snake in it?" Amy said, trying to get straight to the point.

"You mean the prison upside in the jungle?" Cliff nodded. "Yeah, I know all about it."

Amy sighed. "How about you tell us about it?"

Cliff put up a finger for them to wait, and ran into his tent. There were some sounds of metal being flung and what seemed to be a yowling cat, and he came back outside holding a journal. "I've recorded all my data in here. We never found a way inside the prison, but we were able to find records concernin' it."

"The snake's name was Lyric. He was locked inside to prevent his plans to destroy all life in the world." Cliff sighed in relief, putting a hand to his sweaty forehead. "I'm glad he's long-gone by now though."

"Actually..." Sonic coughed. "We...may have found a way inside...and...uh...he's very much alive, and free from the prison..." He swallowed dryly, and ran his fingers through his quills. "So there's that."

Cliff's jaw dropped. "You...found a way inside?" Then he shook his head, trying to focus. "No, more importantly, he's alive and you set him loose on the world?!"

"That's why we came to you. We need to fix Sonic's mistake." Amy said.

"Hey!" The hedgehog snapped.

"My mistake, ours, or whatever. The point is, what can you tell us about him?"

Cliff pulled up a stool and sat down. He turned to another page in the journal, and pointed to a photo of an ancient mural. It depicted what appeared to be Lyric, and several odd-colored crystals.

"Lyric came from an ancient race of people. We don't know their actual name, so we just call them the 'Ancients'. Lyric was once a high-ranking member of the society, and was tasked with observing significant sources of power derived from ancient crystals. His efforts advanced their society, creating a harmony with nature and technology. However, for whatever reason, he schemed to steal the power he had cultivated for his people and instead take over the world with his army of machines. The Ancients imprisoned him with the assistance of what I can assume are two 'demigod'-like figures, a twin-tailed fox and a blue hedgehog."

Cliff turned the page to a photo of the same mural they had seen earlier on the door. He looked at the group, waiting for a reaction. Then, he glanced at the photo, then at Tails, then back at the photo, then back at Sonic, then back at the photo-

"Oh _my **gosh**_."

"I can assure you the greatest evil we've ever fought is some fat guy with a weird egg-naming obsession." Sonic said, waving his hands about.

Whatever he said didn't register. Cliff fell off the stool, unconscious.

"Cliff? Cliff!" Amy started shaking him awake. "Don't faint just yet!"

"Part of me thinks he's had enough revelations today." Tails said.

"W-wait!" Cliff shook his head. "If that prison is still functioning, there must be a Crystal nearby. That's a good thing to have if you wanna get on Lyric's level. But be warned, we don't know much about them or how to utilize them, so they could be dangerous. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to think on this for a while. If you have any other questions, my buddy Q-N-C here can answer them." He gestured to a small robot, with large green eyes and a rusty body.

"Gladly, but, what if I have questions?" Q-N-C asked, tilting his head to the side.

Cliff was now unconscious again.

"Now we can't just go charging in at Lyric, this guy is obviously in a league of his own. I say we do some more research, maybe get some better tools." Amy told everyone.

"Or just fight him and hope something good happens?" Sonic suggested.

"I'm all for that, but only after lunch. I'm starving." Knuckles pushed them aside and ran for another tent, where a hippo appeared to be serving hot dogs.

[At this time, the player will engage in a "hub world" scenario. They can access side quests, play special levels, or continue on with the story. Upgrades will also be available here based on certain aspects of progress.]

Amy pulled Cliff next his tent, while Tails ran off carrying the scraps he had picked up during the adventure. Sonic was alone, and...he felt like crap.

Amy was right, it kind of was his fault. He knocked down that tile on Lyric, he pressed the button that opened the cell. Sonic felt so unsure of himself, and he decided to at least get something to eat. His stomach loudly agreed. He trudged to where Knuckles was, ordering a chili dog with several toppings.

...Hey, this grub wasn't that bad.

Amy sat down, holding Cliff's journal. "So, I thought we'd analyze the notes Cliff had on these 'Ancients'-"

"Guys, you gotta come see this!" Tails propelled himself over, grabbing Sonic by the wrist and yanking him forward.

"Wait, no! My chili dog!"

Sonic was pulled into a half-destroyed tent, Knuckles and Amy following close behind. Resting on the workbench were four small discs, each compacted with a series of upgrades only the greatest inventor could explain. Luckily, the greatest inventor was standing right there, his twin tails waving about wildly.

"I was dabbling with the tech I looted from the tomb, and look what I managed to make!" He took the disk with yellow blinking lights and stuck it to his wrist. "I call it, an Enerbeam!" When he flicked a switch at the top, a yellow beam suddenly shot out and latched onto a lone pole meant for the tent's tarp. Sonic was nearly hit by it, surviving only due to his super speed. Tails switched it off, laughing nervously. "Uh, I'm working out a few kinks, but I'm thinking these might be able to help us!"

"HELP!" Somebody screamed. "HELP!"

All four members of Team Sonic turned to the noise. A lanky weasel came running up, almost tripping over his own feet. He didn't stop when he reached their spot, he just started running around in circles. "M-my name is Foreman Fred Earl, a-and the mine collapsed, they're trapped-"

"Woah, woah, slow down buddy." Sonic put his hands to in a "calm down" gesture. "What happened?"

"The mine freaking collapsed, and I'm the only one who managed to escape!" Fred finally stopped moving, and began shaking his head sporadically. "I'm going to get fired for this. My coworkers are in trouble. Please, _please_ help them! It's just on top of the mountain!"

Sonic looked at the three "friendship bracelets" still resting on the bench. He took hold of the blue-colored one, examining it.

"So, wanna put these guys in their first field test?"

[At this point, the player would contribute in an enhanced running level, breaking into the mine and dodging obstacles using the Enerbeams.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff's animal species was never disclosed. Since he has a long snout and a set of what looks like spines at the back of his head, I decided he was a spinolestes xenarthrous, an extinct animal known primarily for it's intact spines on the fossil. It's fitting that he'd be an extinct species, considering that he's an archeologist studying dead civilizations.


	5. Processing

The one thing Team Sonic did not expect was to find QNC among the trapped miners.

"I tried to go rescue them myself, but..." QNC paused for a thought, "They couldn't exactly fit through where I came in." Above them was a small hole he had somehow scurried through. Not even Knuckles' legs could fit.

"Guess you're not great at thinking things all the way through?" Tails glanced at Sonic, who whistled a tune and looked the other way.

"No, not really. But I still have great ideas anyway!" He knocked twice on his bronze head. "That's tech from the Ancients for ya!"

"Are you saying you were made by the Ancients?!" Amy exclaimed.

"Absolutely! Although I don't remember much. My black-box was partially damaged when Cliff dug me out. _Any_ way-"

"Are you gonna lead us out or what?" One of the miners asked impatiently.

"Yes." Sonic said. "I don't like being in here anyway. Guys, let's go." He started running towards the path they had created to get inside.

"Wait, why were they mining in the first place?"

"What do you think?" QNC answered. "Excavating. There's a lot of powerful energy signatures coming from this sight."

"Powerful energy signatures? ...Cliff said a Crystal is nearby." Amy rummaged through her bag for the journal. "Do you think that's it?"

"That's what the miners were trying to find out." QNC said.

Sonic stopped, turning around. "You coming with us?"

"I think there might be a crystal in this cave. Knuckles and I are going to take a quick look around for it."

"We are?" The echidna looked at her, confused.

"I'll need your muscle in case we get trapped." Amy quietly explained. Knuckles nodded in agreement.

"Are you sure?" Tails asked, scratching behind his ear.

"Positive. Besides, QNC can squeeze back out if anything happens, right?"

The robot shrugged.

"All right, see you on the flip-side!" Sonic and Tails ran down the tunnel, the group of miners hustling to get out and see sunlight again. Amy gave Knuckles a nod, and they began to venture deeper into the mines.

[At this time, the player would engage in a roaming level and navigate the mine.]

"Finally, the door is open!" Amy sighed. "You know, it probably would've been easier if they had actually solved the puzzle to get inside and not try to just force their way through."

"...Meh, can't say I feel the same way." Knuckles replied. He kicked a rock away, watching the dust in it's path get flung up high into the cavern air. He was then distracted by a shining blue light, and looked up, his jaw hanging.

"Look at _that_." Amy said, awed.

It was a blue crystal, fizzling with energy. It had a cubic structure, as if somebody made it entirely out of blue LEGO bricks. It floated just above a marked pad and a statue of what was presumably an Ancient was watching over it from behind. They wore a robe and held a set of scales in one hand, almost as if they were judging the two heroes that intruded the crystal's chamber.

"Is that one of the crystals Cliff was talking about earlier? It's huge!" Knuckles reached out for it, only to snap his hand back when the crystal sparked with lightning. Amy scrunched up her nose, clearly in deep thought. She pulled out the journal Cliff had lent her and began tearing through it's contents (not literally, of course).

"...If it is, I'm not sure if we can just grab it." Amy warned. "Surely it'd be like taking out a dangerous battery. And there are probably more booby traps set around it-"

She trailed off. Knuckles had already grabbed the crystal and hoisted it under an arm. His spines all stood in the air like some sort of odd Mohawk.

"What?" He asked, confused.

Amy sighed and shut the journal with a loud _BAMF_. "Or that...just don't drop it."

"I don't think I could, it's stuck to my fur." Knuckles raised his arm, the crystal attaching itself underneath and following along. "Heh. Cool."

"We outta take it back to the camp and study it." Amy started running for the exit. She was getting a little tired of this mine anyway.

Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails were waiting outside the entrance. A slight rumble made Sonic's ears perk up, and he bit his lip. He shouldn't have left them behind, he was smarter than that-

"We're back! And look what we found!" Knuckles called out. He had this...cubic, blue crystal hovering above his head, his dreadlocks and fur standing up. It looked like a square version of Zalem.

"Uh...what is that?" Tails pointed to Knuckles' new "friend".

"I think it was one of the crystals Cliff was talking about. If what his notes say are true, then this holds incredible power. I think we can utilize it to fight Lyric!" Amy explained.

"Wait, wait, that sounds good and all," Sonic shook his head. "But didn't he also say that they could be dangerous to handle?"

"We'll just have to be careful." Tails said, walking over to Knuckles and climbing on him. "Keep it secure." He reached for the zapping crystal, trying to pry it off the poor echidna.

"Ow ow ow ow that tickles ow ow," Knuckles complained.

Tails and the crystal went flying backwards. It was now stuck to his white chest fur, and holding the poor fox down with it's weight. "Help..." Tails moaned.

"I'll get it."

"I'll help-" Amy started, but Sonic quickly cut her off.

"No!" He yelled, immediately regretting his tone. "Sorry, Ames. It's just, I let out Lyric, so handling the radioactive mineral should be my responsibility." Sonic said firmly. "I don't need anybody else getting hurt." _Cause of me._

The second Sonic's fingers touched the crystal, he saw something. No, felt would be the better word. It was somewhere old, covered in moss and roots. Inside were rusted machines and something with a blue eye. It spoke to him in a language he didn't know.

It ended as soon as it began. The crystal dropped harmlessly to the ground.

"Did you see that?!" Sonic and Tails shrieked at the same time. "I did!"

"...What?" Knuckles raised a brow in confusion. "I was daydreaming."

"We have to go to that abandoned research facility." The blue hedgehog said breathlessly. he picked up the crystal, eyes furrowed in determination.

[At this time, the player would return to the "hub world" scenario, and solve a puzzle with the crystal to proceed to the next stage of the game.]

"So you're telling me you...had a vision when you both touched the crystal?"

"Yep." Both fox and 'hog said in sync. They glared at each other. "Stop that."

At the edge of the site, a large structure blocked their path. It was mottled in designs reminiscent of those in the mine's depths and the Tomb. In the middle was not a magical hand-print button, but a really weird-looking square ingrained deep into the stone.

"Great. Now we have to go the long way around." Tails muttered, tapping his foot. Knuckles perked up at the mention of a hike.

"Yeah, that's been here since, forever." Amy sighed. "When Cliff first started teaching me, he told me that this door wouldn't open no matter what they did. Explosives, hacking, etcetera. Nobody really knows where it leads."

Sonic looked at the crystal in his hand, and at the odd shape carved into the door. "Guys."

Three pairs of eyes looked between the crystal and the door. "You're kidding me." Tails scoffed.

"I knew that crystal would be handy." Amy smirked.

Sonic stepped forward and slammed it in. The crystal shone with a bright, blue light, and wire tracings lit up on the structure with it. It began to open, revealing itself to be a massive door, and the crystal plopped out into Sonic's hands again. He caught it with a small "clunk".

There was a long pathway through a glittering crystal cave hidden in the mountainous rock, stretching out for miles. Was it another Ancient Architecture, or a beautiful design by Mother Nature instead? Only one way to find out.

"I think I found our shortcut." The hedgehog smiled, spinning the crystal on a finger.

[At this point, the player would engage in a normal Sonic level, running to the Abandoned Research Facility.]

"This is it! This is the place!" Sonic slowed down only a little. A huge building stood before them. It was exactly as Sonic described from his vision. ...It was kind of sad to look at, though. What was once glass windows were now just cracked, foggy plates. It smelled like lichen, and the low-hanging clouds really helped the lonely atmosphere.

The entrance had crumbled away into dust by now. Whatever was preserved here wasn't much.

Once they got inside, Sonic and Tails just so happened to stop inches away from their friends, on one of those weird circle things the Ancients so loved to decorate their floors with. It suddenly shifted, and opened to reveal a tunnel going straight down. Both hedgehog and fox screamed bloody murder, hitting the bottom with a loud _THUMP_.

"Sonic! Tails!" Amy called out. "Are you okay?!"

Sonic popped out from his little spiky ball, perfectly fine. He tried to ride up the walls of the tunnel, but they were so freakishly smooth he couldn't get a good grip. "Peachy. I think we're stuck in the sub-levels. Or, me at least." He glanced at his little bro.

"No, we." Tails mumbled. "I think I sprained a tail."

A jolt of pain hit Sonic in the gut, and he helped his little bro up. Sure enough, one of his trademark tails was kinked in the wrong direction. No high-flying for a while. The disgruntled fox sat back down with a cute huff.

"We'll find a way out for you guys!" Amy said. "Just stay right there!"

Silence washed over the two boys. Sonic looked around the circular room they landed in, and drummed a finger on his forearm. He started to tap his foot. He checked his enerbeam as if it was a watch. He began to walk in circles. He started pacing madly. Then he started to lose it.

"How long has it been, Tails?" He asked frantically.

"30 seconds, or something?"

"I'm never gonna survive down here. Hey look! Door! That means way out!" Sonic rushed to a (sealed) vent on the leftmost wall and started pounding on it. When that didn't work, he pulled out the crystal and started to smack it against the vent. When _that_ didn't work, he began spin-dashing against it. "OH COME ON!"

"Sonic, patience is an important virtue." Tails said calmly. "There's a saying: 'If it doesn't open'-"

Sonic proceeded to go right through the vent, the frame falling over cleanly. He burst down the new hallway, yelling "FREEDOM!!!" at the top of his lungs.

"...'It's not your door'." Tails shrugged and got up. "Wait for me!" His little feet padded across the stone floor, significantly slower without the help of his twin tails.

Sonic was suddenly back, and grabbed Tails like a light duffel bag.

"Wha?! What are you-?" The fox started to ask, but Sonic ignored his question.

"Nope! Not stopping! Hang on tight, buddy, 'cause we're gonna find a way out of here!" A streak of blue went down the length of the shaft. The sub-levels awaited them.

[At this time, the player would engage in a regular Sonic level, escorting an injured Tails.]

Meanwhile, Amy and Knuckles were spouting ideas off each other while navigating the old building.

"It's an ancient complex, Knuckles. I doubt it has a map."

"But what if the people here got lost?" Knuckles said. "You can never be too careful, I always say."

Amy almost laughed at his hypocrisy, when a blue light strobed over her body. Amy yelled, pulling out her hammer, only to find a floating ball of moss in front of her.

Wait...that floating ball of moss had a glowing eye. And metal parts. That wasn't moss-it was a machine from years past!

"Scanning life-form. Negative for blue hedgehog." A feminine voice was programmed into it.

"But positive for red echidna?" Knuckles suggested. He let her scan him with her light as well, smiling proudly and nodding his head.

"Red echidna irrelevant."

Knuckles frowned. "Aw."

"Wait, who are you? What's your name?" Amy thrust her hammer in it's direction. Sure, it wasn't exactly a peaceful gesture, but she found it hard to trust any of this robot stuff as of lately.

"Classified until further notice."

"Come on, mossy." Amy tightened her grip on her hammer, groaning. "Tell us."

"Peer pressure acknowledged. Designation: MAIA. Manufacturing Artificial Intelligence Administrator." The machine said. "Pink hedgehog partially relevant. Mentioned by blue hedgehog upon first meeting."

Amy lowered her hammer a bit. "Aw. He mentioned me?" Then she shook her head. "Wait, that's not the point! You're saying you already seen Sonic in here?"

"Affirmative."

"Well? Where is he now?"

"Information: unknown."

Knuckles scoffed. "Talk about a useless pile of junk."

"I can confirm I am not useless." MAIA said. "Last contact with blue hedgehog: 1,000 years ago."

Amy dropped her hammer. "Excuse me? Maybe you are malfunctioning."

"Server diagnostics: reading alive and well." MAIA said softly. "Please disclose last seen hedgehog location. The information is necessary to stop Lyric."

...Stop Lyric? How did she know about him? Word _had_ gotten around the island, but, still. It seemed sketchy. Amy kept her mouth shut, crossing her arms.

"Listen, you're making zero sense, so I don't know if we can trust you." Knuckles said. "Now if you'll excuse us, we're gonna go see how are our friends are faring down below."

A few lights on MAIA blinked, and it floated away.

Amy punched Knuckles in the shoulder. He looked at her innocently.

MAIA continued her descent into the basement. Several doors, stairwells, and venting shafts later, she found what she was looking for: a blue hedgehog and a twin-tailed fox. In the portal's room, no less! She made her way towards them, eager to see her friends after so long.

"Nothing's gonna jump out at us." Sonic was saying. He turned his head and made sudden contact with MAIA. Tails yelped.

"Scanning lifeforms." MAIA said, quickly shining her light over them. "Identities confirmed. It is agreeable to see you both once again!"

 _Why does everyone keep saying that?_ Sonic thought. "And you are...?"

She ignored his question and started to float behind Tails, the kid turning to face her. They started to do an odd dance, continuously spinning around each other until Tails got too dizzy and had to take a moment to breathe. MAIA reached her goal and inspecting his tails. "You told me your hindmost vertebrae would be hurt. I can fix that."

"Hey, don't touch-" Sonic started, but MAIA already had two panels open and was holding the injured tail with the robotic limbs. They tightly snapped the appendage like a wet rag, and Tails winced. His tail, however, began moving again without pain. MAIA released it, pleased with her work.

"Hey, she fixed it!"

"This makes no sense, we've never seen you before." Sonic poked her cracked eye. "Are you really on our side?"

"Affirmative. I am MAIA. 1,000 years ago, I rebelled against my creator, Lyric. The seal, as foretold by you, has been broken, and I am here to help you stop him once again." She said. "I have a map of the crystals for you to take. Without them, Lyric is severely disadvantaged."

Sonic found it very hard to trust her, but if it meant finding more of those crystals, he was game. There was clearly something more to them that just being magical battery gems. "...Alright. Where is it?"

"Not where. When." MAIA said. "It exists in the past, 1,000 years ago. I have created the technology to send you back, where you will meet my past self and create the time loop leading back here."

Tails' jaw dropped. "You're _kidding_."

"Mmhmm." Sonic put his hands on his hips. "What proof do you have that you're not just gonna send us through a black hole?"

"When we first met, you told me you received your scarf as a 15th birthday present from your friend Amy Rose." MAIA said. "How's that for proof?"

Both boys blinked. "...Yep, that checks out." Sonic said softly. "Shall we get going, then?"

"Not yet. The main generator and machine within the room has been damaged during my wait. After repair, I will need you to use the Shock Crystal you have to power it for a short time."

"Oh, that's what this thing's called?" Sonic pulled it out from his quills. "Explains why it makes my fur stand up."

"What are we waiting for?!" Tails said giddily. "Let's get to it!"

[At this time, the player will engage in a roaming level to activate the generator. It would consist of many different puzzles that would need to be solved using both Sonic and Tails, yet each in different areas.]

The time machine was much bigger than they thought.

It filled the room and the insides of the walls, wiring and cogs and sockets scattered like a puzzle. This was Tails' dream. He was happy to mess with the tech using his bare gloves, and act as Sonic's overseer when he didn't understand what MAIA was telling him. The perks of being the smart one.

The poor blue hedgehog, meanwhile, was dumbfounded and wanted to get the show on the road. Tails had dared-dared, I say!-to tell him "take it slow" in rebuilding the destroyed sections. Yeah, he'd rather to rip his spines out. But the things he would do for the good of humanity. And more importantly, the love of his little brother.

The robot constantly peering over his shoulder wouldn't have let him slack off, anyway.

"I would be more skeptical, but...I've seen too many weird things in a single day." Sonic admitted. "So, uh, MAIA, where does this last thingy go?" He tapped a large bronze cog leaning against the wall.

"The 'thingy' you are referring to is a metallic quantum-access bolt." MAIA answered. "It goes in the socket to your left, and then should be turned 90 degrees to the right."

 _Let's time travel, dude, it'll be so fun,_ Sonic thought with irritation, jamming in the metallic quantum thingamabob into it's specified position. Turning it, he stopped when blue energy started to pour through the clear tubes surrounding the generator.

"Yes!" Tails called out. "Now we just gotta put the crystal in the generator's flux capacitor, and we're good to go!"

(Flux Capacitor: A time machine's main source of power.)

Without a word spoken, Sonic ran to the generator's flux, a huge glass tube that was held up by metal prongs and set in the back of the room. However, the tube's surface had cracked and shattered eons ago, and whatever power was once in there had been lost. Sonic let MAIA detach the tube and he put the crystal in it's place.

For some reason, he felt a little better with that thing off of him for the moment.

The blue bismuth was held up by pure static energy. Bolts of lightning connected it to the prongs, and the entire machine burst to life. The blue matter began glowing dangerously bright, and the tech in the center of the room activated. Sonic couldn't help but be hypnotized by the time machine actually _working_. He could see how it filled the entire room and connected with the portal in a perfect fashion. Tails flew down to join him in the awe, nearly bursting with excitement.

"This is gonna be so cool!" Tails said, his namesakes jittery. "I can see now why there were murals of us from 1,000 years ago; because we must have been there 1,000 years ago! It all makes sense now!"

"...Time travel, eh? Gotta admit, this is new."

MAIA floated to a panel near the portal's entrance and set herself on it. A strange vortex began to materialize in the middle of the portal's interface. "Portal activated. Setting coordinates."

The portal flickered, and suddenly turned off. The ancient machinery surrounding them stopped it's work, and the blue lights were gone. The room went dark, save for the crystal and MAIA. 

"Negative. This was not meant to happen." MAIA said, detaching herself from the panel. "The machine appears to have been affected by an EMP blast. However, I could not detect one being set off."

"Don't tell me we did all that work just for some fuse to blow?" Sonic put his face to his palm. He was tired of all this, and he wanted to get moving already.

"No." MAIA said. "I am picking up a foreign energy signature-"

She suddenly dropped to the ground, her lights no longer illuminating the room.

"MAIA!" Tails yelled. He ran to her metal corpse, and noticed several dorsal pieces had been torn out by some...wild animal. Sonic put his fists up. They were not alone.

"I found you." A soft, yet gravely voice whispered.


	6. Project Shadow

[This is chapter is primarily an unsaid backstory for Shadow, and if it were playable, would be as a DLC or bonus level.]

[At this time, the player would engage in a series of levels trying to escape what appears to be imprisonment. They would range from roaming, to normal Sonic levels, to combat. In-between each level, a cutscene describing his backstory would play.]

My name is Shadow the Hedgehog.

The first thing I remember is wondering why I was alive.

Who was I? Where was I? What even was the point of my existence? Slowly, I got used to it, "living". Breathing, hearing, feeling, it all came naturally to me. Seeing, drinking, eating, it was like my body knew what to do, but I did not.

The people around me only spoke when analyzing me. They would state my height, weight, skill level, as if I wasn't there. Otherwise, they never spoke back to me. I was small, young, and confused. Also, I was an..."it". I didn't know what that meant, but one scientist was against that title.

They had made the mistake of thinking I was asleep, and spoke freely amongst themselves.

"Project Shadow is coming along nicely." One man said. "Our little hedgehog is doing well. I'm proud of him."

"Why do you keep referring to it as a 'he', Gerald? It's just an artificial being. It's merely a weapon."

"Fine. Then let's see how 'it' reacts to human stimulus."

From then on, a man with graying hair would come into my quarters. He was kind. Instead of expecting me to figure out how to eat the food, he fed me. Instead of leaving me to solve odd problems, he showed me how to find answers. He spoke to me. I began to speak to him. I had started to become "an individual".

Again, they thought I was asleep.

"You're getting attached to it, Gerald."

"Because it's a living being!"

"So what? It's a weapon that can think! How is that any different than a supercomputer?!"

"I've seen it! He knows me, I can see that he cares for-"

"No, it's only mimicking human mannerism like it's supposed to! Remember that this was your idea, Dr. Robotnik! We'll have to pull you off the team if this continues!"

Mimicking. As if I wasn't real? Just an image, a copy, a mere shadow?

"My idea never involved making him a weapon! Only a cure!"

"It's a mutated bio-weapon at it's core. Nothing more than an experiment. Plans for an Ultimate Lifeform. How will you react if this fails and we throw it away? It's just a prototype! Now stop acting like it's some living thing to keep safe and quit jeopardizing our program!"

The words echoed in my mind. Is that why they got so mad when the kind old man said I was "living"? But, I was living. I ate, I drank, I breathed. I was alive, more alive than they could ever be.

That night, I decided I would break free from the cage they had me inside.

It took years, but I finally built up enough strength and trust to easily destroy the glass wall that separated me form the outside world. I didn't care who stood in my way. I was going to get the hell out of here, one way or another. The kind old man let me leave. He said something to me, but I couldn't make it out. Even mountains away, watching the smoldering flames of the compound I was raised in, I couldn't make sense of it.

I still didn't know who I was, or my purpose. But I at least knew my name.

"Shadow." I said quietly to myself. "He called me Shadow."

I did not know of anyone else who existed. Only myself. I would roam the world, trying to figure out what my goal was meant to be. During my travels, however, I found quiet hatred in the ones that resembled me. I am _not_ a copy. I am _not_ a cheap knock-off.

I am Shadow the Hedgehog, and I am all of me that there ever will be.

_An Long, But Unspecified Amount of Time Later_

I thought I was safe. I thought I was strong enough. But those machines, they rose from the ground while I slept. Something long and cold had taken me by surprise.

"Find that Blue Hedgehog." He had told me, affixing something painful to my head. "Kill him."

From then on until now, I couldn't remember anything else. The world was just a murky black shadow.


	7. I Am... All of Me

Before Sonic could yell "Who the heck are you", an arm wrapped around his neck and choked him.

"Let's get this over with." The voice said. Whoever they were, they sounded like they had been dancing in fires as a pastime.

"Gak-let-me..." Sonic could see his vision fading. Whilst holding onto him with an elbow, the assailant lifted him up, ready to snap his neck. His legs flailing, Sonic suddenly had an opening.

He kicked his assailant with all his might in the shins. He was dropped, and Sonic rolled to safety, standing with his spines flared. "I don't know who the heck you think you are, but if you hurt me or my friends..." He bared his fangs. "You better _pray_ you can run faster than me."

The assailant chuckled, sounding like less of a laugh and more an irritated exhale. Sonic held his ground, nearly vibrating from his anger and tightening his hands into fists.

Red eyes flashed from the darkness. "Fine, then. I'll give you hell."

He launched himself at Sonic, driving his knee into his gut. Sonic fell back from the force, and the assailant ran circles around him, a yellow and blood-red trim trailing off his form. Sonic rolled into a ball, spinning in place and trying to find an opening to escape; or better yet, hit him. He ended up launching upwards and away, but was grabbed by his attacker with inmobian speed. Sonic panicked and unfurled. His eyes now adjusting to the darkness, he noticed the assailant was...a hedgehog, just like him. He held him up by his quills, all with a single hand.

"Well would you look at that. I _can_ run faster than you." He mocked. "You fake hedgehog. You're supposed to be the little blue brat that has my master at his wit's end? Ha!"

"I'm not a fake hedgehog..." Sonic muttered, swinging from his raised position and spinning out of Shadow's grip. "I'm Sonic, _the_ Hedgehog!"

[At this time, the player would engage in a boss battle with the mysterious assailant, buying Tails time to fix MAIA and get the machine back up.]

Sonic couldn't believe it. Never in his life had his speed been matched, let alone outdone. He chased the assailant around the room, taking care not to destroy any of the machinery. It was hard, fighting in the dark like this.

"Now this is getting interesting." The other hedgehog said.

"Mind explaining why you wanna fight me?!"

"Get rid of all who oppose him. Give death to all that lives." The assailant began chanting under his breath. "Find the blue hedgehog. Kill him."

Sonic began spin-dashing at him, only to be met by an opposing force. Whoever this guy was, apparently he knew how to do that trick too. If his master was Lyric, as Sonic suspected, did he know all of the blue blur's moves too? The thought made his spines prickle as he slammed into his attacker's quills again.

Again, again, again. They'd keep hitting one another, bouncing off the walls and creating shockwaves that shook the room. This was going nowhere, and Sonic was starting to hit his limit. Then it hit him.

He could run faster, but could he _think_ faster?

He changed his trajectory at the last second and spun up the walls, climbing higher until he could almost touch the ceiling. The assailant launched himself into the air, trying to grab the blue blur once more...

Sonic had him right where he wanted him.

He unfurled, grabbing his arms by surprise, and brought him into a high-velocity pile drive.

"SEE YA!"

The blue hero threw him into the floor, the stone cracking from the sheer impact. Sonic landed in a crouch, kneeling against the floor. He panted, shaking the stars from his eyes.

"MAIA online. Reactivation of Time Portal: confirmed."

The room lit up, and the machinery once again glowed with the energy from the Crystal. Tails helped raise it back into it's place.

Finally, Sonic could get a good look at the enemy. He was a hedgehog, clearly, but his quills were in the oddest shape. He had red stripes going down each one, and all four of his limbs too. He wore these odd, hi-tech shoes, and padded bracelets with his gloves.

Tails ran up next to Sonic, helping him stand. "That was insane. Are you okay?"

"M'fine. Never had that kind of exercise before." Sonic shrugged.

The attacker began to get up again.

"Oh for the love of-" Sonic strolled over and kicked him in the head, hard. There was a loud clank, and something fell off the hedgehog's forehead. He peered up at Sonic, dazed. His red eyes dilated and focused, and he furrowed his brow in confusion.

Sonic stepped back, Tails' hand on a wrench to throw.

The ebony hedgehog grunted, collapsing onto his knees. His arm hung at an odd angle that surely didn't look right. It seemed that Sonic had broken his arm with that last attack, and needless to say he felt a little bad about it. Red eyes stared at the limp appendage.

"Woah there, looks like you've been hurt pretty bad-"

The black hedgehog grimaced and cracked his arm back into place.

Both Sonic and Tails screeched at the same time. 

"Where am I?" He stood up. "What's going on? Who are you?!"

"Who am-" Sonic scoffed. "You just tried to obliterate me a minute ago!"

"I think I'd remember that." He stood, scanning the two up and down. "I already don't like the look of you."

"Guess what? I don't have time for this." Sonic said. "MAIA, do us a favor and make sure he does nothing while we're in the past."

"Sonic, wait, we can't just leave him here unsupervised!"

"We aren't, MAIA is watching him."

"But MAIA is currently using all her power to keep the portal working. She can't do anything if this guy-"

"WE FOUND YOU!"

Two blurs shot across the room, red and pink. Amy stopped in front of Tails and Sonic, grinning. "You have no idea how hard it is to navigate the sub-levels." Then she eyed the black and red hedgehog. "Who is this?"

"None of your concern. He just waltzed into the room and tried to kill me for no reason!"

"What?" Knuckles asked, flabbergasted.

The ebony hedgehog scoffed, and looked up at the group. He didn't seem to have been paying attention to their conversation whatsoever. "I figured it out. I was being unwillingly compelled."

"Excuse me?"

He began walking towards Sonic, and Knuckles put up his fists. "Hey, lay off! You tried to hurt my friend!"

"Not of my own volition!" The hedgehog snapped. "The last thing I remember was being ambushed by somebody I couldn't see, and ordering me to find you." He pointed at Sonic. "They must have brainwashed me somehow." He took a second to fish on the ground with a glove, and held up a broken piece of tech. "Using this."

 _Oh yeah, that fell off his head when I kicked it._ Sonic thought. "I find it hard to trust you."

"The feeling is mutual." The newfound rival growled. "However, if my captor wanted you dead so badly, then that means you're my best chance of finding him."

"Whatever floats your boat, pal. Now are you gonna give me a name, or am I gonna keep calling you 'the guy who was almost faster than me'?"

Ebony fur ruffled angrily, and the hedgehog stood up taller. "My name is Shadow. And you best understand that I am not your friend, I am not your ally, I work to seek my own benefit and survival. Got that?"

"Does this make us rivals then?" Sonic raised a brow, smiling mischievously.

"Once this is all over? Sure."

Amy sighed. "Okay, ladies, you're both pretty! Now Tails, would you care to explain what is going on?"


End file.
